Ties of Friendship
by ForestRunner
Summary: Post-Refrain. Begins right after the end of Refrain. Heavy spoilers. / Time keeps moving. No matter how many times you get knocked down, you have to find a way to jump back up smiling. Because the world won't wait for you. Never worry, though. You have a handful of friends by your side. Together, we'll make it through this cold, cruel world. Hand in hand, let's move forward.


Hey everyone. I was so excited to see this section, but the small number of fanfics upset me...so I decided I'll write a ton of one-shots and stories for the _Little Busters!_ in my free time. Lovely project, if I say so myself~

This fanfic will continue from the Good End of _Refrain_. Haven't read _Refrain_, then I suggest you come back once you do(or wait for Season2 to air and watch that). Spoilers are a crime you commit to yourself. XD

For now, enjoy the prologue. It's super short for my preferences...ah, it's around 1200words. It was pretty fun trying to find ways to fit everyone in there. As far as updates go, I'm working on getting a decent amount of chapters done before I upload again. I hope to have five done, ten's pushing it, then I'll upload chapters 1 & 2. If I write multiple chapters before updating, I can find plotholes before it becomes a mess with reuploading things and the like. Plus, knowing someone might be waiting for an upload will motivate me to reach that target quicker. :)

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**Ties of Friendship**  
**~by ForestRunner**

**Prologue - A Small Chat**

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The car slowed to a stop. "That's no good," Riki could hear Kyousuke mutter to himself. It wasn't like there was any room for disagreement. It truly was terrible -the sight laid before them. Gas oil leaked, forming massive puddles on the ground. Sirens could be heard in the distance, growing louder with each passing second, and police officials were already directing traffic around the scene. Someone had driven on a red light; it was the only explanation for a crash this massive. "I hope they'll be okay..." Kengo's voice. Masato's reply, "Likewise." There was no way anyone could simply 'be okay' after a crash like that. The deathly silence was speaking for everyone, conveying this message through nothing but heavy air.  
Riki could tell the girls were shocked, they had not spoken a word since seeing what was ahead. He wondered how Rin was taking it. Well enough, he hoped? He glanced back, noticing the varieties of dumbfounded expressions, some clearly remembering a similar event. Someone had to say something at least a tad positive, the mood was getting so sour... Riki ended up blurting out the first thing that came to mind. "A- at least those days are behind us," was what he had said. Whether it held any worth, he guessed he'd have to wait for a response to tell. He moved in his seat, facing forward once more. He was trying to hide the fact that he was nervous. No one said a word. _I knew it_, Riki thought,_ I said something stupid again..._

"Nicely put," Kyousuke had spoken. As he eased onto the gas, following the directions he was given to go around the wreck, he continued with, "We are past that...but it doesn't mean it cannot happen again." Riki looked out the passenger's window after hearing that, masking his discomfort. It was not something he liked to think about, the fact that any one of them could be lost or harmed at any second. It truly was a degrading thought. "Since when were you so pessimistic?" Riki replied, stealing a glance at Kyousuke. He hoped he hadn't sounded like he was pouting. Kyousuke smirked, saying, "I'm not being pessimistic, just stating facts. Surely you know it too, how any one of us could be in harm's way at any given moment." Just what Riki had thought a few seconds ago. So they were on the same page here.  
"Yeah, but don't you agree that thinking like that whenever something bad happens spoils the mood? Just a moment ago everyone here was laughing," Riki immediately wanted to slap himself for saying that out loud. He must've sounded so childish. His worries were confirmed when he heard Kyousuke chuckling. Even worse when he said, "Riki...sometimes I wonder about you and that mindset of your's."  
Uwah...how embarrassing.

"I like it though," Kurugaya jumped into the conversation. Her smile was visible in the rear view mirror as she said, "The way he talks about it, you almost want him to be correct. However ridiculous it sounds." She laughed as elegant as always, "Onee-chan would gladly allow you one tight, long, heated embrace for every naive thing you say." "Aww, Anego! No fair!" Haruka's loud voice almost echoed in the car. It was surprising how she didn't get a sore throat, with vocals that massive all the time. "You're always loving everyone so passionately but me!" Riki gritted his teeth. Were they implying what he thought they were on purpose? He'd like to give benefit of the doubt, but...the nerve those two girls had were impeccable. Before anyone could say anything more, he responded, "You two are aware I have a girlfriend, and she's sitting right next to you, right?"

Riki swore he was able to predict everything that happened next. Instead of watching to see if he was right, he rested his chin on his hand and watched the railings slide by as they drove past. "Rin-chan? A hah haha," the expected nervous laugh from Haruka before the excuse. "She doesn't mind, Anego and I were just playing after all." Masato let out a 'huh' from surprise, saying, "You sounded pretty serious to me." Fast as lightning, Haruka had an alibi paired with a sly smile. "Well, you see, it's no fun if you can tell I'm faking." Anyone could see through her lie, but no one would bother to argue it...except for Masato, who, after a moment's thought, was able to see an alternative meaning.  
"Wait, you're saying that all this time, you could have been faking your responses for fun? So all those times you made a fool of me were an act for amusement because it's just _oh so much fun_ seeing big ol' me act like an idiot, is that was you're saying, eh!? Eh!?" As expected of Masato. Another long-winded but somehow brilliant speculation. Only he would think that deep about such a simple response. Riki made a mental note to himself on this matter.

"Shut up, dumbass!" Rin shouted, slamming her foot onto Masato's shoe because she couldn't kick him with the seatbelt on. Riki really should've seen that one coming. Masato was unharmed from her attack, but he was angry anyways. He shouted back, "Hey now, we're next to each other in this van. I can easily hug you and rub my dumbass germs onto you!" He was still using that threat? Interesting. Rin hissed, Masato growled. If Riki had to explain it, he would say it was like watching a cat and a dog take swipes at each other. Sooner or later the fur would start flying. Haruka laughed, enjoying the near-battle all too much. She enthusiastically cheered them on, chanting, "Ah, it appears that even though Riki and Rin are the ones dating, Masato wants Rin and Anego wants Riki! Such a plot twist! The irony! Ah hah haha! Fight-o! Fight-o!"  
The next event Riki saw coming. Kud was flustered, literally sitting between Rin and Masato. He didn't think she approved of them fighting to begin with, but if they started a brawl now, she would be caught right in the middle of it. She was obviously scatterbrained, unsure of what to think or where to put her train of thoughts as she waved her arms around and worriedly cried out, "Ah, ah, ah, Rin, Masato, please don't start a fi-" "Fuka!" Rin hissed at Masato again, scaring Kud. Riki wouldn't dare turn around and watch this silly spectacle, but he could easily imagine Kud's eye pupils dilating to a small fraction of their usual size. In a timid defeat she mournfully sighed, "Oooooh, wafu..." _And cue the one-man doppler effect_, Riki thought to himself. Kud must be mentally cursing herself for being so weak. He could faintly hear her mumbling to herself, but her words were incomprehensive. Yup, definitely cursing herself.

"Fue!? You two, stop it, you're upsetting Kud!" Komari interrupted, saying just the right thing to calm down the fighters. Masato coughed once, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry Kudo," he said, patting Kud's head. Did Riki just hear a tiny 'wafu' right now? He must've imagined it... Rin was blushing now, that much was clear in the way she stuttered, "S-s-sorry, Kud..." then sighed. Must be tough for her, apologizing for doing something as inconsiderate as hissing in someone-other-than-Masato's face. Things had calmed down again, and the scene they had driven by was now gone from everyone's minds. Riki felt a sense of calmness from that. A sad mood really didn't fit this group. He began to notice that Mio had been silent the whole time. He peeked at the rear view mirror and caught a glimpse of her reading her book. Now that took concentration, to ignore everything that just happened that easily. He then remembered his mental note about Masato's comebacks.

"Ah, Masato, remind me to pay you when we get home."

"Oh, what for?"

"If you can't figure that out, maybe you don't deserve the money after all."


End file.
